Exhaust Manifold Gaskets/Lifter Tick

[JPVortex]

thats how they work, 4 pt chains, harbor freight sells one. used to be like 30 bucks. not sure what they go for now tho. i got mine like 8 years ago.

it's like $45 now, not terrible. Definitely going to be the easiest way to get the trans and engine remated though. I appreciate your help big time.

 

[Scottydoggs]

it's like $45 now, not terrible. Definitely going to be the easiest way to get the trans and engine remated though. I appreciate your help big time.

only issue you might find is if your hoist will go high enough to clear the oil pan past the rad support. might have to choke it down real tight.

 

[JPVortex]

only issue you might find is if your hoist will go high enough to clear the oil pan past the rad support. might have to choke it down real tight.

Can always pull the rad support off if needed. I also don't want to get one of the cheap chinese harbor freight hoists. Kind of thinking of getting something more heavy duty that's used on Marketplace. They definitely seem bigger than the harbor freight ones.

 

[Scottydoggs]

the hf one ton is pretty good. i got the smaller one cause i was pulling car engines. and that boom ended up being to short, had to drill a new hole and pull the beam out further.

 

[Scottydoggs]

or if you got a tool rental place local, just rent a monster one.

 

[JPVortex]

New symptom here, things misfiring pretty bad, feel a good vibration at idle and with slight revs the engine is quite shaky. No codes yet, willing to bet cylinder number 4 is misfiring though.

 

[JPVortex]

Ignore the misfire, seemingly unrelated. It's coming and going as it pleases. For ***** and giggles I pulled the plugs on cylinder 4(the ticker) and cylinder 2(the rocker i pulled off for comparison) and 150psi exactly on both. Pretty good in my opinion for a 200k engine. So the lifter isn't bad enough to stop the valve from properly opening and closing.


My suspect of the misfire is the $30 chinese amazon plug wires I put on it from "JDMSpeed", they feel cheap and don't exactly click into place. They're good enough for now or until I get an actual misfire code.

 

[JPVortex]

So part of me is conderingggg being a cheap ass and half assing a cam and lifter install. Lifters would be new, but think I could get away with a used cam?

Found this one on eBay, hows it look to you guys? 145k miles.

Camshaft LM7 - GEN 3 - 4.8L 5.3L 6.0L 5.7L '97-'07 - Used - OEM - 3-bolt 0967 | eBay

<p>Used from a 02 5.3 lm7 145k miles. Good shape </p>

www.ebay.com

 

[Scottydoggs]

that cam is dead. id only buy a new cam.

 

[JPVortex]

that cam is dead. id only buy a new cam.

Yeah have to agree there, looks pretty pitted up.

Have any experience with the rockauto brand EngineTech? They have a cam and lifter kit for $275. Quick Google search, people are saying they aren't half bad.

Also, regarding my lowish oil pressure(around 28-30psi hot) think that's caused by excess bearing clearance due to engine failure or a weak oil pump or something? I can tell you there is some metal circulating around. Not a ton, but changing the oil the other day there was a little metal sludge on the magnetic tip of my drain plug.

 

[Scottydoggs]

no idea on that cam to be honest. for the same money you could grab a stage 1-2 cam where you wont really need the higher stall tc. but will need a tune.

you should be changing the oil pump for sure, the o ring on the pick up tube can fail, then it sucks air vs oil. dropping the oil pan would be the easy way, but theres vids of ppl getting the nut off with only taking the bolts out and dropping it as far as it can go, looks like a pita to me, but ive also got sausage fingers. aka i wear 3x gloves and if i could find 4x thats what i really need lol

also inspect the cam bearings real good. if you see copper or deep scratches that could cause the low oil pressure. changing them is another job all in its self.

 

[JPVortex]

no idea on that cam to be honest. for the same money you could grab a stage 1-2 cam where you wont really need the higher stall tc. but will need a tune.

you should be changing the oil pump for sure, the o ring on the pick up tube can fail, then it sucks air vs oil. dropping the oil pan would be the easy way, but theres vids of ppl getting the nut off with only taking the bolts out and dropping it as far as it can go, looks like a pita to me, but ive also got sausage fingers. aka i wear 3x gloves and if i could find 4x thats what i really need lol

also inspect the cam bearings real good. if you see copper or deep scratches that could cause the low oil pressure. changing them is another job all in its self.

Already dropped the pan and replaced the pickup oring, so that's not the issue. Hopefully none of the cam bearings are bad. It's kind of a risk to pull the heads off and the cam, could be a massive waste of time. That is where the used engine I feel is bit safer. Especially a lower mileage unit with videos of it running.

 

[JPVortex]

Alright folks the misfire definitely is bad enough to warrant do something about. Wasn't misfiring before messing with the torque on the rocker arms and putting new plug wires so I ordered better plug wires. Going to give Delphi a try, i've had good luck with them in the past. Also going to recheck the torque on the rocker arms. One of them I loosened up to get oil up there initially, and then I tightened it back down but didn't put a torque wrench back on it(stupidly, I was fed up), so I think I may have socked it down too much.

 

[JPVortex]

Also to be noted, and I'm a total idiot for this, there's a chance it's not a misfire at all. Instead, when I was tightening the bolts for the rocker arms I was turning the engine by hand to bring it to base circle to tighten. I stupidly left the ratchet, extension and socket connected to the crank pulley bolt and started the engine. Yeah..... It did its carnage. Put a big dent in the radiator(not replacing, it's not leaking), cracked a chunk off the lower fan shroud and most importantly broke off a giant chunk of one of the fan blades. It also bent a couple of the fan clutches fins. So I'm thinking it could be TOTALLY out of balance, and it's not a misfire at all, but a vibration while the fan is running. Which would explain why it's intermittent and doesn't happen when the engine is cold....

Think I can get away with just replacing the plastic fan that is destroyed? Or will the actual metal fins that are slightly bent on the fan clutch cause it to be out of balance too?

 

[Scottydoggs]

if you got a mech fan yes the blades unbolt from the clutch. id bet the clutch is ok. unless the fan spins by hand super easy, like you can spin it and it turns like 5-6 times by its self. then the clutch is shot due to wear. you can also push and pull the fan blade feeling for play in the clutch.

 

[JPVortex]

if you got a mech fan yes the blades unbolt from the clutch. id bet the clutch is ok. unless the fan spins by hand super easy, like you can spin it and it turns like 5-6 times by its self. then the clutch is shot due to wear. you can also push and pull the fan blade feeling for play in the clutch.

Fan clutch feels great. Stops itself very quick, makes no noise and feels super smooth. It's definitely still good. Just the fan itself needs replaced.

 

[JPVortex]

So here’s the final carnage, kind of fought to get this stupid thing off. Rented a fan clutch removal tool, turns out my water pump pulley is not a bolt on, but a press on pulley. But it had holes on it. Perfect spot for me to put my cheap harbor freight adjustable spanner wrench, and it worked the 2nd try. First try it slipped off and BOY I busted a knuckle real good, skinned that SOB. Second try I wore my thick mechanics gloves and the fan came loose!!

Question is, are these bent and slightly broken fins on the fan clutch enough to cause it to be out of balance? Or should I run it? As stated, other than the damage the fan clutch is in good shape. Obviously the fan is getting replaced.

 

[Scottydoggs]

id run that clutch with out a second thought.

 

[JPVortex]

id run that clutch with out a second thought.

Sweet im running it! Just got back from pick and pull and got a good condition fan for $20. Good deal in my opinion for OEM fan

 

[JPVortex]

So here's something new. I don't know if this fan has ever worked properly, and I still dont think it is. I installed the old fan clutch with the new fan, and started it up. Instantly I hear the fan(engine cold), I give it little baby revs, and the fan is like full blown blowing and making fan noises even with engine cold. I have never heard the fan like that just sitting there, what is the clutch stuck engaged or something?